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Paragliding is awesome. I tried getting into this back in the 90's but living in Boston it was really tough to get to the training hill. The only outfit back then was just north of Burlinton VT. I took a couple of lessons and short flights but never got certified.
The sport does have its share of dangers once you get more advanced and start catching thermals - partial wing collapses, downdrafts, etc.
At this point, I'd love to get some place where they have a big launch and take a tandem ride with a trained pilot on a "safe" day.

Yeah, it's standard practice to carry a reserve chute for high flights. The reserves are a little different than those on a skydiving rig, you have to throw them manually and they can take a bit to open. Also, they often are open in conjunction with the main chute off to the side. I think you need at least a couple hundred feet for it to open.